An international conference about mining reclamation ended in Laramie today. The American Society of Mining and Reclamation and the Wyoming Reclamation and Restoration Center hosted the event, which featured technical presentations about reclamation issues as well as policy questions and case studies.
UW professor and director of the Wyoming Reclamation and Restoration Center, Pete Stahl, says there were many Australian and Chinese stakeholders in attendance.
“The United States probably has the strictest land reclamation rules around the world and we’re getting really good at it so people from other countries are trying to learn this technology, improve their skills and they come to the United States and places like Wyoming where we have a lot of people doing land reclamation,” says Stahl.
Stahl says that Wyoming has been particularly focused on issues like sage grouse habitat preservation in energy development areas, as well as challenges presented by reclamation in cold, dry climates.